The Heartbreak Factor - Part Four

The smell of turkey filled the house as I carried Katy in through the front door. It was typical of mum. She’d always put the turkey on for a slow cook on Christmas Eve so the house would stink of it so much that when we actually got round to have it, nobody would want any as we’ll be sick of the smell. But that was what Christmas was all about in my family. 

“Mum,” I called out as I held the door open for George as he carried in bags of presents. “Michael.”

“You’re early,” mum smiled. 

“I know,” I grinned as I gave her a quick hug. “Traffic wasn’t as bad as we were expecting.” 

“How’s your mum and dad, George?” Michael asked as he took Katy from my arms. 

“They’re good, thanks,” George smiled. “Mum’s jetting off to Australia for a few weeks today so a bit jealous of her but yeah, they’re both good.”

“Nanny!” Katy beamed as she ran across the laminate flooring of my mum and Michael’s house, grabbing hold of my mum’s legs and nearly knocking her over. 

“Where’s Jack?” I asked, looking around and noticing there was no sign of my brother which was very unusual. 

Mum looked at Michael with a sly grin on her face as she picked up Katy. “Are you going to tell her or am I?” mum smirked. 

“Oh, you tell her,” Michael laughed, helping George carry in the suitcases from the car.

“Yeah..” I paused, waiting for somebody to tell me where Jack was. 

“He’s with his girlfriend, Annabelle,” mum announced. 

“That Annabelle girl he was crazy about back in September?” I asked. 

Mum nodded. “You should see them together, Sammy. They’re so adorable. She lives two streets away but every morning I have to walk with him to knock for her and they walk in front holding hands while I walk behind with his mum, Tracy. They’re inseparable. It’s so adorable.”

“Young love,” I grinned. 

“Can you remember that boy that used to follow you around the playground when you were in reception?” mum chuckled. “What was his name again?”

“What? Oliver?” I laughed. 

“That’s right. You had Oliver and Chloe had Marcus.”

“What’s that?” George smiled as he propped up Katy’s travel cot by the stairs, listening to our conversation. 

“Nothing,” I replied, trying to stop my mum from teasing me anymore. 

“I was just saying that Jack’s got a girlfriend who he’s crazy about and when Sammy was in reception, there was a boy in her year that was crazy about her. He wouldn’t leave her alone,” mum explained to George - much to my annoyance. 

“I thought I was your first proper boyfriend,” George joked. 

“I didn’t go out with him,” I groaned. “He was my stalker. Remember that time he followed me home in year five?”

“You should see him now thought,” mum paused. “I was on the phone to Rachel the other day and we were talking about Oliver and Marcus when I told her about Jack and Annabelle and she said Oliver is a model now. He’s actually pretty hot.”

“Mum. You’re old enough to be his mother!” I laughed. “And I really doubt that. The kid wouldn’t do anything but eat the play-doh and pick his nose.”

“Right up your street then,” George joked. 

I rolled my eyes as mum grabbed her laptop and typed in Oliver’s name - I never really knew his surname so God only knows how mum managed to find it out. After a few moments of clicking and scrolling, mum tilted the laptop screen so that it was in mine and George’s view. My jaw nearly hit the floor when I saw the screen. He had got hot. He had got seriously hot. The black and white photo of a tall, tanned, brunette boy ripping off his white shirt to reveal a perfectly defined six pack was definitely not the boy I remembered.